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‘To thine ownself be true’
The Roan Plateau in northwest Colorado. Sharing creates advocates, while oversharing creates problems “To share or not to share…” If Hamlet were a fly fisher instead of just an angst-ridden 30-something pining for his dead father, this might have been what he uttered as he pondered the value of his own life. For, much like…
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What’s your vote for America’s ‘national fish?’
The author's choice? The smallmouth bass. USFWS photo. It’s a silly question, but it’s fun. And it’s Friday. If you were to vote for a national fish, what would it be? The brook trout currently holds the title of most revered freshwater “state fish” with nine states—including Michigan, Pennsylvani and New York—making it their choice.…
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Tying the After Hours Stonefly
It's later in the season, but not too late for stoneflies. Below, TU's Nick Halle ties his After Hours Stonefly, a solid "tweener" of a bug that could be seen by trout as either a smaller Yellow Sally or even a larger, nocturnal stone. Even more likely? This pattern, at least this time of year,…
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Light the pilot for a young angler and share the craft
I look back on my fishing life, and I can play certain moments in my mind like black-and-white highlight reels. That first snout of a brown trout sipping a grasshopper fly I cast in the right spot along the riverbank. That first tarpon jump, that made my knees knock as the silver king splashed down on…
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When the weather breaks and the rains come
Photo by Mark H. Anbinder A group of friends had meticulously planned a big float of the upper Henry's Fork from Big Springs to Mack's Inn this past weekend. It's been a hell of summer — we went the better part of a month without rain and here in Idaho Falls, we went through the latter…
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Playing the numbers game isn’t a sustainable strategy
If we don’t at least talk about how anglers pressure fisheries, is habitat work just window dressing? Numbers. That’s the word that pops to mind when I see this image. I asked you all what you thought yesterday. Many said “bobber.” (OK. I think most of can agree that “strike indicator” is a bit over-cooked).…
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Toughen up your small dry flies with UV resin
I took to finishing these small flies with the smallest dollop of thin UV-reactive resin I could squeeze out of the bottle
I’ve always been something of a ham-handed fly tier, and, generally speaking, the bigger the fly, the easier it is for me to tie. I’m a big guy at six-foot-five, and my hands correspond to my height. They just aren’t meant for detail work. But I live in eastern Idaho, and during fall and winter,…
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